Cod Liver Oil – Why We Avoid It

“Cod liver oil cautions
Some experts, including John Cannell M.D., founder of the Vitamin D Council, are leery of cod liver oil because of its very high vitamin A content, which can be inherently unhealthful and can interfere with vitamin D.

These excerpts from the cod liver oil fact sheet by the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter†† address the vitamin A issue and purity concerns:

“Cod liver oil, bottled or in capsule form, has its own special problems. Just one teaspoon [4,000mg] of cod liver oil has 4,500 IU of A, for instance, and the standard dose is one to three teaspoons a day [i.e., 4.500 IU to 13,500 IU]. Capsules of cod liver oil contain less oil, but the vitamin can still add up, especially on top of the amount you get from foods and from a multivitamin, if you take one.”
“Recent studies have found that as little as 6,000 IU of vitamin A daily can interfere with bone growth and promote fractures. And women of childbearing age should not exceed 10,000 IU of vitamin A because of the risk of birth defects.”
“Cod liver oil is made from livers, of course. The liver is a filter, so toxins (such as PCBs) get concentrated there. Thus cod liver oil is more likely to be contaminated than other fish-oil supplements. If you want to try fish oil supplements, avoid cod liver oil—and talk to your doctor first.”

1) CLO contains heavy metals, PCBs and arsenic. The more toxic contaminants cannot be removed by modern purifying methods.

2) CLO contains arsenic and PCBs. Although the FDA thinks small amounts of PCBand arsenic are “safe” I cannot concur. Arsenic and PCBs accumulate in the brain. And let’s face it, the FDA has no test data upon which to determine how much of these contaminants are safe. If someone handed you a glass of water and said ” it’s great! It contains “safe” levels of arsenic, heavy metals and PCBs” would you really give it to your child to drink? If not, why would you give them CLO?

3) In DS CLO has repeatedly caused elevation of liver enzymes. This may be due to the extremely high levels of Vitamin A contained in the oil but it is more likely a reaction to your child’s liver struggling to filter out the toxins in CLO.

4) YOUR CHILD DOES NOT NEED IT. There is nothing in CLO that cannot be obtained from safe sources. It is a myth that vitamin D, A or E is “better” from CLO.